Harness.



W. S. RINGSTAFF.

HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1908.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

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it TENT @FFIQE.

WILLIAM SAMUEL RINGSTAFF, OF HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA.

HARNESS Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 28, 190B.

Patented March 80, 1909.

Serial No. 435,565.

ject View being to provide shaft support as an enlarged detail mg means so constructed and related to the harness saddle as to do away with the greater portion of the stitching now necessarily resorted to in the manufacture of harness 5 while providing a strong, practical and re liable structure which will admit of the ,necessary adjustment to animals of different 1 slzes. i Y With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a harness saddle showing the supporting means of this invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of the same partly in section. Fig. 3 erspective view of sling. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the eye members. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the buckle. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the yoke piece. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the device as applied to double harness.

Fig. 8'is a vertical sectional view of the same. Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the ordinary harness saddle which may be of any usual or preferred construction and pro 0 vided at opposite sides with attaching eyes orloops 2 for the attachment of the supporting strap 3.

4 designates the rotector strap which extends from the sadc le downward and lies in- 5 side of the supporting strap 3.

5 designates a sling either for sup orting a shaft or a trace according as to whet er the same is used on single or double harness. This sling is best illustrated in Fig. 3 and is 0 composed of a stout iece of leather of several thicknesses stitc 1661 together along the marginal edge, the extremities of such slings being disposed uppermost and provided with cross slots 6 which adapt the ends of the 5 sling to be pushed over the oppositely projected loops 4 of a yoke disk or body which is in the form of a disk shown at 8 provided with holes 9 adapted to receive rivets by which the yoke piece is securely connected to one end or the other of the sling 5, the disk shaped body lying between the ends of the sling while the loops 7 project on opposite sides of the ends of the sling to receive portions of the supporting strap 3 which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The opposite ends of the supporting strap 3 are secured to a buckle which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 5 where it is seen to comprise the opposite parallel side bars 10, the connecting body or web 11 which is pro vided with studs 12 arranged at a suitable distance apart, the buckle also comprising the end cross bars 12 which are offset to one side of the plane of the body 11 to allow of I the passage of the ends of the strap beneath the cross bars 13. One end of the strap is provided with holes to receive the studs 12 and is thereby secured to the buckle. The strap is then passed around beneath the sling 5 and upward beneath the cross bars 13 of the buckle thence upward through a strap loop 14 on the saddle 1, then through the eye or ring 2 on the saddle, then downward again through the stra loop 14 to the buckle where the end of tie strap is secured to the buckle by providing the same with other holes to receive the studs 12 all as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In this way, the sling 5 is securely supported by the strap 3.

Secured to thelower end of the sling 5 is an eye best illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein it is seen to comprise a base plate 15 provided with rivet holes 16 adapting the same to be secured to the sling, and an eye 17 which is adapted to receive the upper bight of an ad- 9 justing or tightening strap 18 which passes through the u per end of the frame of a buckle 19 to w n'ch is connected one extremity of the girth strap or pulley band 20, the strap 18 being provided with an adjusting buckle 21 to take up slack therein and tighten the pulley band in order to secure the harness saddle firmly upon the back of the animal.

In utilizing the invention in connection with double harness as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the sling 5 may be made considerably shorter, being just large enough to admit of the passage therethrough and admit of one of the traces shown at 22. The trace also has secured thereto a stay 23 which is secured at interyals to the trace by rivets or like fasteners 24 provided with spaces betweens uch fasteners to receive the sling 5. In Fig. 7 the sling 5 is shown as arranged between the innermost fasteners 24 and for a larger or smaller animal, said cylinder may be ad.

justed to either of the outer spaces as maybe found necessary.

In Figs. 7 and 8, 25 designates the saddle which is provided at its opposite ends with rings 26 to receive the supporting strap 3, otherwise the construction is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 1. The combination with a harness saddle, of a sling embodying a flexible strap bent upon itself with the two ends thereof arranged uppermost and provided With cross slots, a yoke piece having the body thereof arranged between the ends of the sling and provided with oppositely extending loops which pass through the slots of the slingand project on opposite sides of the sling, a supporting strap connected with the saddle and passing around said sling and through the loops of the yoke piece, and means for securing the ends of said supporting strap.

2. In harness, the combination with a harness saddle, ofa sling for the purpose s ecified, a yoke piece having the body t ereof interposed between opposite portions of the sling and provided with oppositely projecting loops which project on op posite sides of the sling, a supporting strap connected with the saddle and passing around said sling and through the loops of the yoke piece, means for securing the ends of said supporting strap, a trace adapted to iass throu 11 said slin and a sta in the 1 form of a strap extending lengthwise of a portion of the trace and secured thereto at intervals by fasteners leavingnnteryen ng spaces for the reception of a portion of the sling, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature 7 in presence of two Witnesses WILLIAM SAMUEL iuNesrArr.

Vfitnesses p O. L. VVHITENE THos. M. IIUE-HAM. 

